Page 48 of Take Me Please, Cowboy
Seeing her would bring fresh pain, deepen the loss and longing.A sane man wouldn’t let that happen, not when he was still missing her so much.Not enough time had passed for him to be indifferent to her.Rye suspected he might never be indifferent to her.But hopefully, with time, the missing and wanting would ease.Hopefully, time would help the memories fade, along with the intensity of his regret.
He closed his eyes, but he saw her.
Ansley.
Rye sat up, moved the pillows behind him, trying to find a more comfortable position, and suddenly he remembered his mom’s words about the trailer and how unsuitable it was for his future.Obviously, he knew that moving a wife in here wasn’t ideal, but he hadn’t expected his mom to have such strong feelings about the arrangement.He supposed he’d never thought of it from an outsider’s perspective, and it was strange to think of his mom as an outsider, but once upon a time she had been.She’d been born Jennifer Johnson, raised on a farm close to the town of Sparwood, two and a half hours outside of Calgary.Rye’s Johnson grandparents had raised cattle and farmed and been prosperous enough that they could afford to give their children a happy and secure childhood.Jennifer attended college in Calgary and then, after graduating, stayed in the city to work.
It was in Calgary she met John Calhoun who was in town for a construction conference.Apparently, there were immediate sparks and after just a handful of dates, and a half dozen visits to Calgary from Eureka, John proposed.Jennifer accepted.They were married within six months of meeting.
It was not a shotgun marriage.In fact, Rye didn’t arrive for eighteen months, and by all account, his parents were delighted by his appearance.He was healthy and happy, and no one imagined that there would be any reason why it would be so difficult for Jennifer to conceive again.They didn’t start trying until Rye was two, but it would be years of infertility before Jennifer consulted a doctor, and finally, Hannah was conceived.Josie followed soon after and then Jasper.His mom’s pregnancy with Jasper had been normal.There had been no illnesses, or viruses, nothing to make anyone concerned, but when Jasper arrived, something clearly was wrong.There was quiet speculation that Jasper had been injured during the birth, but of course none of the medical team would admit such a thing.
But Jasper turned out to be a joy, doted on by the family, he was endlessly cheerful, impossibly good-natured.Even though his life was filled with scares and complications, he never complained.He seemed to understand better than any of them what a gift life was, and how quickly it could be taken away.
Chapter Nine
Josie had beenincredibly nervous during the drive to Bozeman.They’d left the house at four thirty in the morning on Thursday, getting them to Bozeman by ten thirty, in plenty of time for a quick lunch, a relaxed campus tour, and then her three o’clock interview in downtown Bozeman.
Rye was waiting for his sister at a coffee shop not far from the design firm, and although he’d been keeping an eye out for her, she’d found him before he saw her approach.
“I love them,” Josie said, practically dancing around the table.She pulled out a chair and sat down across from him.“They do amazing work.They are leaders in universal design, corporate and residential, and we started talking about how great design should work for everyone, and how accessibility shouldn’t have to look institutional.”
Rye couldn’t remember the last time Josie was so excited.“So, you got the job?”
“It’s an internship, and I’ll get some college credits—”
“I thought they were paying you?”
“They are, and until school starts, I’ll work full-time and then cut back to part-time once classes begin next August.”She paused, drew a breath.“They even know of a place I could rent, it’s a little studio here downtown, but walking distance to the office.It’s not available until January, but I’d be living in a real city.I’d be part of all this!”
“Too bad we can’t see the apartment, make sure the building is safe, and all that.”
“We can if we want.Just not today.”She gave Rye a hopeful smile.“Why don’t we spend the night here, see the apartment in the morning, and then drive home?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to remind her that it would be expensive staying overnight.They’d need two rooms since he wasn’t going to share a room with Josie.She was an adult, and he respected her privacy.“It’s not a bad idea,” he said.
She was immediately on her phone searching for motel rooms.It didn’t take her long to find something that could work—a one bedroom suite where she could sleep on the pullout bed and he could have the bedroom.
“I’ll take the pullout,” he said.
“Not with that arm,” she answered.She glanced up at him, still smiling, still so excited.“Should I book it?”
“Yes.Then let whoever needs to know that you’d like to see the apartment in the morning.I won’t feel good about you moving here if it’s not a good location.”
“Rye, you know I can handle myself.”
He looked at his beautiful sister, truly stunning with her violet eyes, dark hair, and high cheekbones.His mother must have looked the same as a young woman.“I’d be a terrible brother if I didn’t check it out.”
“I agree.”She sat back and sighed the most contented sigh.“Can you believe this?I was so upset at having to push back school for another year.I think I cried all June, but now I have this opportunity.I can’t tell you how lucky I feel.”
He was glad.Truly glad.He had been the one to say no, they couldn’t afford to send her to college this year.He’d been the ogre who’d pointed out that there wasn’t enough for both Hannah and Josie to go away at the same time, and since Hannah was older, she took precedence.He’d felt awful.He’d hated to be the dream crusher but someone had to be practical.
“You’ve earned this,” he said gruffly.“And deserve this.I’m proud of you Jo-Jo.”
She grinned.“Thank you.Now let’s check into our room and relax a little bit before we get some dinner.What do you say?”
“I say yes.”
They left the coffee shop and were walking toward his truck when a poster in a window caught his eye.He stopped and glanced from the poster to the name of the business.The Bozeman Big Sky Gallery.Ansley’s show.It was here.The reception was tonight.
